


letters

by luhanexe



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Fate, Love Letters, M/M, Secret Admirer
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-09-18
Updated: 2020-04-15
Packaged: 2020-10-20 20:54:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 3,226
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20681792
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/luhanexe/pseuds/luhanexe
Summary: the lonely boy with no friendsfinds a letter from a secret admirer





	1. a letter

What would have happened if Taeyong hadn't wanted a canned coffee that day? Would he have still end up in this mess? What if he had gone to a different convenience store? Would he still have found the letter? And what if he hadn't opened it? How different would things be now?

Taeyong pondered these questions often. Was his life better now with the letters or did they only add on another burden? With the heaping mountain of letters addressed to him on his desk, he most certainly found them to be a burden when it came to cleaning them up. And besides the fact that they made up 99% of the clutter he had to deal with. . . Taeyong liked to think that the letters have changed his life for the better. Even if he didn't have the slightest idea of who they came from.

━━━━━━━ *✭˚･ﾟ✧*･ﾟ ━━━━━━━

It all started on an uneventful day in September. Y'know, like every single other day of the year. Well, at least, that was the case for Taeyong. He was just another university student blending in the crowd. One without any friends, and too much time to study on his hands. At least he made the grades without any expense.

After the last class of the day, he decided to grab a quick coffee from the convenience store on his way home. He planned to power through the ten-paged essay he had due in a couple of days tonight. And the perfect way to give himself a little boost? A simple, canned coffee.

As Taeyong entered through the automatic doors of the convenience store, he felt the AC blast at his slightly reddened face. The sudden temperature change was quite refreshing considering how humid it was outside. He made his way through the small aisles and to the back of the store where all the refrigerators were located.

Taeyong knew exactly where his favorite coffee brand was located since he had gotten it so many times. Opening the door, he reached for the can. But someone caught his eye before his fingertips touched it. A white envelope was placed in between two drinks— his coffee and another brand he was not particularly fond of.

Figuring that perhaps the envelope had been misplaced, Taeyong slipped it out from it's stuck position. But soon enough, he realized that the envelope couldn't have been placed there by accident. His own name was written on the front in a fancy calligraphy.

This had Taeyong frozen for a moment. From the other aisles, he just looked like someone who was indecisive on which coffee to get. But boy, this male's heart wouldn't be racing for some coffee, even if it were too much caffeine considering how much he drank in a day. His curiosity was beyond piqued, situations like this never happened to Taeyong.

His thumb slipped into an unsealed spot of the seal and neatly ripped open the envelope. Inside, he found a folded piece of paper that was somehow clean from the wet spots of the envelope. He pulled it out eagerly.

" _Hi __Taeyong, _

_I hope you find this letter in good condition._

_There's this saying that if two people are meant to be, they will always find each other._

_I wanted to test this theory. . . because, I think I like you._

_From,_

_Anonymous. "_

Straight to the point, the letter was. Taeyong couldn't help his speeding heartbeat. This was the first time he had ever received a love letter. . . Further yet, even had someone admire him. There was no doubt, that Taeyong wanted to find out who this person was.

But come to think of it, he really didn't know anyone. There were a few faces he could recognize since he came across them a frequently. Could it have been one of those people? And of course, he knew the names and faces of the popular students but he highly doubted the writer of this note was one of them.

Taeyong stuffed the note into his messenger bag, grabbed his coffee, and paid for it. He excitedly walked out of the convenience store, keeping his head up for any possible signs of eye contact with anyone who walked by him on his way back to the dorm.

Finally, today was different. And boy, was Taeyong ready for a change!

But in his excitement, he didn't even notice another university student in the convenience store grabbing some instant ramen for dinner. The other boy watched Taeyong with a small smile on his face. His heart too, was excited. For his secret crush had found his note.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you so so much for checking this story out!! i promise to work super hard on it and keep it's cute aesthetic hehe. comments and votes are very much appreciated, also feedback! i hope this story is a breezy read and write ~
> 
> — your local luhan and kpop supporter


	2. a mess

Taeyong arrived home that day with an enlightened smile painted on his face. To his misfortune, he had not happened to make any eye contact with anyone on the street besides the mailman who had come to deliver an assortment of junk mail. With the stack of mail in hand, he didn't even go through them before instinctively slipping them into the trash bin on his way in. Closing the front door behind him, he kicked off his shoes.

His hands were emptied aside from the letter he had found at the convenience store. That was the only mail that really mattered right now.

Sliding his bag off of his shoulders to land at the edge of his bed on his floor, Taeyong let himself fall onto the short bed back-first as he held the note in the air, keeping it from crumpling. _This letter couldn't have been a joke. No one would waste their time to target a nobody like me, _he told himself. He closed his eyes, letting himself relax.

Today had been a long day at school just like every other day. He had a crap ton of homework in his bag, waiting to be finished. Taeyong always prioritized his school work since he had nothing else to focus on. Except for his meals. Having to live by himself now, he learned to cook quite decently with his one handy portable butane stove and non-stick pan. He could whip up a fine bulgogi which he was proud of. But he didn't make it often since meat was more on the expensive side. Though he had thought to himself frequently while stirring the sizzling beef that it was a shame he couldn't share it with anyone.

Suddenly it came to thought, what if he brought it to school one day? Or maybe to the convenience store. That was where his secret admirer noticed him after all. Then the secret admirer would spot his delicious-looking homemade food and just approach him themselves. Taeyong played these scenarios out in his head, smiling to himself. But soon enough he told himself to stop the daydreams and come back to reality. No such silly things would happen.

Then an idea came to him. The first hopeful idea he has ever had in a long while. Taeyong hopped out of bed, taking the note with him, and sat at his desk which was located in the front of the window. The top was rather clean and tidy for a boy who loved to study. He grabbed a sheet of printer paper and a black pen from the side. Then, he wrote:

_"I hope this arrives to you safely._

_What do you like to get at the convenience store?"_

He folded the paper neatly into a paper plane, a simple skill he's had since kindergarten, and unlocked the hinges of the window. On the other side of the window was a view of the road and shops below. The daylight had dissolved more compared to just 30 minutes earlier. He was only a few floors from the ground which was a perfect height. He then pushed the sliding window upwards and took the paper plane in one hand. The warm weather floated in as the AC from his room collided with it. Holding the plane on the other side of the wall, he waited for the wind. When it came, he let go of the plane paper, giving it a little boost forward.

The paper plane soared out, starting off on it's own journey. Taeyong watched it intently as it hit a few bumpy rides, twisting and turning awkwardly until the wind smoothly carried it out of sight, disappearing down the evening, orange street.

"Goodbyee," he said blissfully and pushed the window closed.

No signature. No 'from.' No address. No 'to.' Just a simple message. And if it landed in the hands of his secret admirer, then there would no way be a coincidence. Or perhaps just a 1% chance. And if it ended up with someone else, well, at least he tried his luck.

But for now, Taeyong liked to think that his letter was on its way to his secret admirer. That it knew which way to go, which streets to turn. And he or her would smile at the sight. He would make their day.

Taeyong smiled to himself warmly. As he turned around away from the window, an unexpected scene struck him.

All of the papers that were loosely, yet neatly piled on his desk had blown all over the floor. This included the note, which was supposedly buried somewhere in this blanket of whiteness. His jaw dropped open at the horrendous wreck of his once-tidy room. At least none of it had flown through the window.

Taeyong facepalmed himself. Had he been too caught up in his fantasy? _Oh well, what's done has been done,_ he told himself as he kneeled down on the wooden floor and started sorting the papers out, bracing himself for the next few hours worth of organizing.


	3. a plane.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ahhh i've been so busy lately with school and work since im in my senior year of high school so updates in general have been nonexistent !! but today , even if its late its better than none ^^

A black-haired male with round glasses slugged out of his apartment, loosely clutching the messenger bag which slung from his shoulder. The dark brown lines under his eyes were as visible as a failed attempt to put on edgy eyeliner. Unfortunately for Doyoung, he couldn't just wipe off the eye bags from a long night worth of hardcore studying. And on top of that, he had no makeup to conceal the imperfection.

Typically, Doyoung tucked in his shirts. He often did this by pure habit every morning. He deemed it neat and well put-together. And secretly, it sort of bugged him when people didn't tuck in their shirts. . . Especially for formal occasions.

But today, he didn't bother to tuck in his clothing. Instead, he had just thrown on a large coffee-colored sweater at 6AM, the time his wake-up alarm always rang. 

But what was looking untidy for a day compared to getting the grades he needed to achieve his dream of becoming a doctor? This was only the beginning of his journey and he needed to start off strong. But someday in his academic curriculum, he would learn that no such learning could be achieved without a good night's sleep.

As he rubbed his eyes while also letting out a yawn, he took the elevator down to the first floor of the apartment building, barely taking notice of the girl beside him who was also headed to the same class. With a _ding!_, the doors slid open and Doyoung passed the security desk without the usual morning nod. 

Outside, the weather was quite nice for the 7AM gloom of fall. Birds singing to each other in the background created a sort of sweet white noise. There were the usual trimmed bushes into mini spheres in front of the apartment building, decorating the walkway to the main street. At first, when Doyoung first moved into the building, he thought they were rather luxury-looking. But after seeing them everyday, they just looked like balls of leaves. Maybe a fountain would _spruce_ things up.

But at the corner of his tired eyes, he saw something different about these bushes. Or—one of the bushes. Curious, Doyoung stopped by the third bush to the entrance gate on the right side of the path. A white paper plane was stuck in the leaves, poking out. Based on how crumpled and cold it was, it seemed to have spent the night there. 

It wasn't like Doyoung was an extreme environmentalist since he still threw his empty instant ramen bowls into the trash, but a random piece of paper with no purpose but to litter did bother him. It bothered him enough to pull it out and crumple it until he passed by a recycling bin on the way to class. 

Passing through the entrance gates and making a right to the academy, Doyoung realized that he had forgotten to check the paper plane of it's cleanliness._ It really isn't that hard to _not _make a paper plane and let it fly loose,_ he thought as he unfolded it, checking to see if there were any unrecyclable contents on it. But what he saw was a note written in pen that wasn't addressed to anybody. The handwriting was rather uneven and not in the slightest bit in a straight line but it was still legible.

"I hope this arrives to you safely. What do you like to get at the convenience store?" he read in a whisper to himself.

Suddenly, it hit him. 

The convenience store— the place where he had left the anonymous note for his crush yesterday. 

_ It couldn't be!_ The thought struck as he remembered watching Taeyong take the note and buy a canned coffee.

Having an unforeseen change in emotion, a smile formed on Doyoung's lips. He held the crumpled paper plane against his chest. A warm feeling fluttered in his insides. So Taeyong had replied back to anonymous. And the note had successfully arrived to the right person. He didn't think it would actually work. Well, he pondered it but decided not to spend the night dwelling on such a fantasy.

_ So destiny is true,_ Doyoung thought to himself. _Two people will always find each other._

He had to test this theory more, just to make sure. Just to make sure that this wasn't simply pure luck. Or that he had intercepted someone else's letter (which would be awfully unfortunate for that person and for himself). And so, he drafted out the next letter he would send later today in his head, trotting down the sidewalk with the academy in view just a few more blocks ahead. Suddenly, he didn't feel so tired anymore.

_" I like instant ramen, as every university student does._

_But a mango-flavored drink also makes my day. "_


	4. a boy

Coffee brown eyes lingered over the selection of colorful, frozen cans. Wispy, translucent puffs of fog escaped the chilly refrigerators upon meeting the warmer air outside. The light buzzing of the machinery became white noise as Taeyong focused on the selection of fruit drinks before him.

_ Which one. . . Which one. . ._

His secret admirer liked mango flavored drinks — that was what the letter had said. The letter that had smacked Taeyong right in the face right before he had entered the convenience store. Luckily, the paper plane had hit his forehead, but that was still cutting it close to a disaster. Frankly, it was a pleasant surprise. Having woken up to letter was a little worrisome to Taeyong an hour ago. _A little_ as in. . . He felt the necessity to check his room thoroughly — under the mattress, behind the desk, and even in the closet. Having not found a letter might've summoned a cloud of disappointment around his head for a bit.

_ But, which drink do they like? _Taeyong asked himself. _Fizzy or not fizzy?_

That was the big question. Or perhaps was he overthinking it?

_ If they liked fizzy then they would have specified, right?_

_ No, that's not what comes to mind when answering such a simple question —_

It was like an angel vs devil situation in his head. His consciousness fought back and forth against itself —

— Until Taeyong let out a huff. "Ugh, I can't take it anymore!" he muttered to himself as he snatched the non-fizzy mango drink and shut the refrigerator door. The other drinks must've gone bad with how long he had kept it open. In his other hand, was the typical canned coffee. 

He then made his way over to the ramen aisle where he would be getting his lunch. (_Instant ramen, as every university does.) _Approaching the ramen selection, his eyes laid upon another university student. The boy had straight black hair and round glasses. His plain white shirt was tucked into his black jeans neatly.

The two made eye contact. Taeyong recognized him from his literature class. If he could recall properly, was it. . . Kim Doyoung? Personally, Taeyong didn't know him but from his observations of other students frequently coming up to him for homework help and passing him notes in class, he could assume Doyoung was a smart and likable kind of person. Someone with friends. Taeyong had even gotten caught up in one of the note passing journeys before. He remembered clearly, the note said, _'Do you know whats going on because I don't.'_

Doyoung had a surprised look in his face. Flustered, Taeyong bowed while saying "hello." He wasn't used to interacting with other students outside of university since he never really had anyone to talk to so coming across them was an extremely awkward situation for him.

"Hello," Doyoung greeted with a friendly smile, "Taeyong." He then reached for a bowl of spicy Japanese ramen. "Getting lunch before literature?"

Questions always threw Taeyong off guard. That was because he never expected them. And that was because. . . No one ever bothered. "Y - yeah," he stuttered anxiously. So to his surprise, Doyoung knew his name. He couldn't help but to feel a little honored.

After a moment of awkward silence (well, it was awkward to the shy boy), Taeyong quickly grabbed the chicken-flavored Korean ramen. _Should I say goodbye? Are we on saying-goodbye terms?_ His mind spun. Even in simple situations like this, his anxiety got to the best of him.

"Well then, see you in class later," Doyoung said with a tone so calm, it made Taeyong wonder how visibly nervous he was. 

"Right!"

Doyoung then made his way past Taeyong and towards the refrigerators in the back.

Taeyong stood there for a moment, trying to calm down the rapid beating of his heart. His face felt hot, he was embarrassed. _Why must I be like this?!_ He screamed in his own mind silently. But part of him wanted to say it aloud to get it out of his system. Once he collected his own sanity back together, he gave his head a shake and checked out the items at the register. 

━━━━━━━ *✭˚･ﾟ✧*･ﾟ ━━━━━━━

As Doyoung watched at the corner of his eye, Taeyong leave the convenience store, he smiled to himself warmly. _How cute,_ he thought.

One didn't have to be observant to know what Taeyong was thinking. Everything he felt, was right on his face. He was like an open book. And that was what Doyoung liked about him. There was no deceit when it came to Taeyong. 

Taking a non-fizzy mango-favored drink from the fridge, he then opened another refrigerator to reveal the canned coffees and took the one that his crush had been holding. While checking out his items at the register, he read the labels on the can.

70% milk and cream.

There was barely coffee or caffeine in this drink.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i wanted to say thank you for the support of the story! when it first started, it was really invisible but suddenly its gaining a bit of attention and i really appreciate it !! <3


End file.
